Power Rangers: Yokai
by WolfsbaneX
Summary: An evil animated parasol has waged war on humans with his Tsukumogami. Five humans reincarnated from five yokai must now use the powers of their past lives to keep them at bay.
1. Prologue

**Power Rangers: Yokai**

**Prologue**

**Feudal Japan, A.D. 1823**

A samurai, no older than 20, ran through a mountain forest near Mount Fuji. He knew that the creature wouldn't be far behind. The warrior panted, his dark brown eyes weary from the long night he had had. The samurai came to a halt, tired and panicky.

"I tire of running," he said to himself, his long black hair drenched with sweat, "If I am going to die, I will die with honor."

The warrior drew his sword, a wicked katana with carvings made to look like wind, and waited for the monster. As it appeared, its shape was revealed. It was 6'11'', with one leg and one foot wearing one sandal, two arms, a gaping mouth, and one eye. Out of the mouth protruded a long tongue and it stuck out in a menacing way.

"Karakasa!" shouted the samurai in disgust, sneering at the monster, "Decided to finish me off yourself rather than send one of your Tsukumogami?"

The spirit chuckled and said, "Sumisu Daizo, the last samurai of the clan. It must be a shame to not want to fight."

Daizo felt a heated rage build inside him, but instead of doing something rash, he replied, "I'm not afraid of you."

Karakasa smirked and said, "Someone unafraid would engage me in combat."

"Then let us do battle," shouted the Japanese nobleman, charging forward with his sword.

"Let's," Karakasa replied as he smiled evilly and extended his tongue.

The tongue wrapped around Daizo's sword, yanking the weapon out of the samurai's grasp. The warrior gaped as his weapon left his grasp, surprised at the monster's strength as it began to close in.

"Any last words, Daizo?" Karakasa asked, an evil smile on his face.

The samurai looked behind the spirit and gaped, utterly surprised.

"Mizumi?" he asked skeptically, still gaped.

Karakasa turned around. A beautiful maiden with red and white kabuki makeup stepped out of the shadows onto a nearby boulder, her red kimono swishing in the wind.

"Hello, Karakasa," she said grimly.

Her brown eyes turned green and the pupil became like that of a cat's.

"What?" exclaimed the spirit, his evil grin dissipating, "What are _you _doing here?"

"You threatened my betrothed," the actress told him very calmly. A bit too calmly.

Karakasa turned and looked at Daizo, who smiled sheepishly, a bit worried that his fiancé was here to confront a yokai.

"Someone of your status is engaged to _her_?" raged Karakasa.

"And I brought friends," Mizumi informed them, gesturing to her left and right.

Suddenly, the river to the right of them exploded as a blue half-man, half-turtle with razor-sharp fangs walked towards Karakasa. occasionally using his arm to steady his body. A few seconds later, a black lupine creature jumped into the clearing, followed by a scuttling giant orange half-minotaur, half-spider. A black half-woman, half-eagle circled the scene, and landed, folding her arms. All five wore determined looks.

Karakasa laughed and roared, "Just four Yokai and a human?"

Mizumi smirked, and said, "No, five!"

Suddenly, Mizumi jumped off the boulder and transformed into a fox, but light blue and with nine tails.

"Mizumi, you're a kitsune?" Daizo said as he gaped, dumbfounded.

"But of course," the fox replied, with a kind smile, "Didn't you notice?"

"Notice what?" the samurai asked, dumbfounded. He looked at his fiancé, puzzled.

"The way I'm good to you," she replied, her light blue fox cheeks becoming a bit darker.

Then it donned on Daizo that kitsune make excellent wives.

"I'm so sorry, Mizumi," the nobleman told her, the ground his main focus.

"It's okay," Mizumi replied, smiling compassionately.

Karakasa began to clap, an insincere smile on his face.

"Well, isn't this touching?" he asked cynically.

"Oh, shut up," said the wolf-like Yokai rudely, tossing his head slightly and rolling his eyes.

"As rude as Okami is, I must agree," added the half-minotaur, half-spider, cracking his knuckles as his spidery legs twitching with excitement.

"Ushi-Oni, I believe we have a bigger problem," replied the half-human, half-eagle, flexing her legs.

"Indeed, Tengu," said the half-human, half-turtle, a strange half-smile on his face.

"Alright, Kappa," Okami replied, shaking his wolf head in a joking manner.

"So, you think you can stop me?" Karakasa replied, the spirit's tongue poised.

Mizumi trotted forward and began to chant, Daizo scrambling to the sideline. Soon, Kappa joined in, followed by Okami, Ushi-Oni, and Tengu.

"No!" screeched Karakasa, hands to where his ear holes would have been, "Not the Youth Spell!"

Immediately, Karakasa began a counter chant, and as the two parties' chants progressed, each rose in volume and intensity. Karakasa began changing back into his original form, and the five began to become more and more human. After both parties finished, there were five near-death humans lying on the ground, and a parasol hanging in a tree.

"Mizumi!" Daizo yelled, running to embrace her.

Mizumi, however, held up her hand and said, weakly, "No, Daizo. N-not, at least, in this life."

And, with that, Mizumi and her comrades died on the spot. Daizo cried over his fiancé's dead body until he heard a search party of sorts, so he decided to go hide behind the boulder. The warriors entered the clearing, saw the five dead people, shrugged, grabbed their bodies, and left. One recognized his wife's parasol and took it, too. Daizo sighed, lamenting that his love had died.

"I know, right?" a voice said, frightening Daizo out of his wits.

Standing beside Daizo was a hairy hominid, much like Bigfoot. Daizo automatically knew what to do, shutting off his thoughts to the Satori. Immediately, the creature collapsed.

"Why, Daizo, why?" the Satori cried out, then adding in a whisper, "Why?"

"You are a Satori," Daizo replied, shocked at the creature's reply.

"Yes, but one who holds the key to your happiness," the Satori told him, a gentle smile on his face.

"Come again?" Daizo asked skeptically.

"I, Omoi the Wise, endow you with eternal youth until the cycle is broken," the hominid whispered, his strength fading away.

And with that Omoi touched the samurai on his forehead, giving him all the knowledge to complete this seemingly impossible task.

Daizo flinched and said, "I will not let you down, Omoi."

"Good," Omoi said as he too passed away.

The samurai retrieved his sword from a tree near the clearing.

"The last chapter has ended in the cycle," Daizo said to himself introspectively, "And the first one begins in the year 2011, in Little Tokyo, Nevada."

And with that, Daizo trudged to a boat and sailed to America, the waves battering the boat as the samurai, burdened by his newfound knowledge, contemplated the coming chapters.

* * *

><p>Trivia: Omoi is part of Japanese folklore canon. He supposedly lives on Mount Fuji. Also, a Satori is a creature that can read minds and repeats them to you. The only way to get rid of one is to free your mind. Then, they will either leave, run away, or die.<p> 


	2. Mysterious Tattoos: Part One

**Power Rangers: Yokai**

**Mysterious Tattoos: Part One**

**Little Tokyo, Nevada A.D. 2011**

Daizo walked the street of the American town, looking around. It was nothing like the Tokyo he remembered. The road was bustling with rickshaw rides, roadside vendors shouting out the message that they had "fresh" fish, which Daizo thought smelled rather rotten, bright red paper lanterns and other "Japanese" items.

"These idiots wouldn't know Japanese if it hit them between the eyes," the samurai muttered to himself, face solemn.

He took out a book and flipped to a page. "Ah, the Mark of the Incarnation spell."

Daizo put his finger on the page and read aloud, "化身のマルク、私にアナタたち自身明らかにする！"

Out of the book flew five colored orbs: red, blue, green, black, and purple. These danced around in the middle of the air and flew off in five different directions.

"Soon, we will be reunited, Miyumi," Daizo said, hoping this would work.

**Museum of Japanese Culture A.D. 2011**

An Asian guard paced around the sea of glass cases surrounded by off-white walls. Along the wall were assorted banners about different eras and artifacts. The guard stopped in front of a glass case that contained shogun armor with a yari and, oddly enough, a parasol. He stopped to admire the display for a moment, a smile lighting his face. Then, he noticed a smudge on the glass. Taking out his handkerchief, the guard began to remove the smudge.

Suddenly, the glass began to quiver a little. The guard stopped rubbing the smudge, thinking the shaking was his doing. But the glass continued to shake, and increased. The guard peered inside the display to notice that the parasol was growing and gaining limbs.

The parasol wedged itself inside of the samurai armor and the armor shut around it. A face appeared in the helmet with one eye and an evil grin.

"What the..." the guard began, taking out his flashlight.

The newly improved Karakasa drew his new sword and sliced the display open.

"What's that supposed to do?" the yokai asked, extending his tongue.

The guard watched in horror as his flashlight was ripped out of his grasp and pulled into the mouth of the monster. Karakasa then began to chew the device like it was a piece of bubblegum. The Asian man forced himself up and backed away. Then, without warning, the yokai spit out the contents of his mouth, which become twenty-odd footsoldiers.

They crouched menacingly, their black metallic skin vaguely reflecting the afternoon sun. The mooks turned their one-eyed heads on the guard, who was frozen in fear.

"Inanimates, attack!" Karakasa roared, pointing his sword at the Asian man.

With a cross between a feral roar and a robotic whine, the grunts leapt and the guard screamed.

**Little Tokyo Library A.D. 2011**

Maya Foxman sucked her teeth as she looked down at her AP Bio book. Midterms were tomorrow and she wanted to make sure she know the material well enough to make an "A".

"Oh my gosh, this is stressing me out!" the Latina said, removed a strand of brown hair from one of her brown eyes.

Suddenly, a small red orb flew into the library via a side window and flittered about, searching for who it was to find. It noticed Maya and darted across the room, leaving a trail of red light in its wake. Maya saw something red out of the corner of her eye, but ignored it, thinking it was some stupid kid in the library playing with a laser pointer. As the orb drew closer, it unraveled into the kanji for love and hit the girl on the left side of her neck, close to her face. Maya let out a soft "eep" of surprise, suddenly feeling something hot underneath her skin. The red kanji sank into her skin, becoming a tattoo. It glowed for a few seconds, then stopped.

The Latina inhaled, suddenly feeling up. "This stuff isn't so hard," she said, looking at the material. "I'm getting worked up about nothing."

Maya closed her book with a heavy thud, hefted it up, and placed it back inside her backpack. She then hoisted her backpack onto her back and headed out. On the way, she stopped by the mirror to make sure her hair wasn't a total mess and noticed the new tattoo.

"What the..." she said to herself.

**Secret Fishing Spot A.D. 2011**

River Manning groaned as he sucked his thumb. He had just stuck himself with his fishing hook and it had hurt a lot. The Apache pulled his thumb out of his mouth and dunked it into the creek, a sluggish red fog suddenly appearing there.

"That's the third time this week," River said to himself.

The teen pulled out a band-aid from his pocket and put in on his wound. As River began to bait his hook again, a blue orb zoomed over and unraveling into a blue kanji for love, which bored into his left forearm. River sucked air through his teeth and shook his left hand as the kanji formed his tattoo. The Apache rolled up his blue sleeve, revealing the new ink.

"How..."

**Football Field A.D. 2011**

Wolf Baren ran across the field, pursued by Stanford Spyder, a farther solid Caucasian, who was pulling up his pants.

"Come back here, Baren!" Stanford yelled lividly, his Cockney accent ringing out.

Wolf laughed and continued running. "Slim chance, Spyder!" the olive-skinned teen replied with a grin, pausing every few seconds to look behind him. The boy had just pantsed Stanford in front of the football team and the cheerleadering squad. Needless to say, Stanford was livid. This comidic chase had been seen by a few students and even a faculty member, but no one said anything.

Suddenly, two orbs, one black and one green, shot from the visitor's stands and hit each boy in the leg. Wolf collapsed, clutching his left leg. Stanford also went down, clutching his right leg. Each boy rolled up their pants leg to reveal the kanji for love tattooed to their shins, Wolf's being black and Stanford's being green.

"Where..." Standford began, stupified.

"What.." Wolf gasped, shocked.

**Suzuki's School for the Japanese Arts A.D. 2011**

Yoko Sumisu sat in her chair as her best friend, Miu, applied kabuki makeup to her face.

"Do you think I will do well?" Yoko asked Miu, her English a little choppy.

Miu smiled and let out a happy sigh. "Of course."

_She'll be amazing_, Miu thought to herself, _Besides, she's more in touch with Japanese culture than I am._

It was true; Yoko was barely a US citizen. The Japanese girl had come to America when she was ten and was enrolled in Suzuki's because her parents didn't want her to become westernized. Plus, Yoko had a thing for acting. Two birds, one stone, the Americans say.

Out of nowhere, a purple orb flew across the stage adjacent to the dressing room Yoko was in. The orb unveiled its kanji form and hit her right arm. Yoko grabbed her arm and let a few words fly in Japanese. The girl rolled up the sleeve of her silk kimono, revealing the kanji for love there.

"Nani..." the Asian muttered incredulously.

**Abandoned Japanese Warehouse A.D. 2011**

Daizo looked at his watch, a small gold analog watch, then opened his book again.

"Guide them here," Daizo instructed it, "わたしにそれらをもたらす! "

Suddenly, five orbs zoomed from five different directions and landed, becoming five very confused teenagers.

"Where are we?" Maya asked, dropping her backpack to the ground.

River shrugged to himself and made sure his fishing pole hadn't been damaged.

Stanford pulled up his pants finally, then looked lividly at Wolf. "I don't care what just happened, you're dead, Baren!"

The smaller let out an "eep", then ran. The jock wasn't far behind him, the two running in circles around the group.

Yoko looked at the man, whose eyes followed Wolf and Stanford around the room. Wasn't he the one that lived across from her? Someone she saw in the market? The Japanese girl shrugged internally and drew her attention to the two boys circling the room.

"Get back here, Baren!" Stanford roared, face red.

"Nuh uh," Wolf replied as he hid behind Maya, "I already know what's going happen if I go over there."

Stanford started toward Wolf, but Maya held out a hand and walked from between them. Stanford and Wolf looked at her in amazement, as if they were _supposed_ to listen to her.

"Listen you two, I don't know what's between you two, but I have a feeling that we've been summoned here for a reason," the Latina told them, face stern, "So could you two call a momentary truce?"

The jock and prankster exchanged a brief glance and chorused, "Eh."

Wolf walked far, far away from Stanford, making sure the football player didn't change his mind. Soon the room was orderly and the five faced Daizo.

"I guess you are all wondering why you're here and what's with the tattoo," Daizo began.

Maya bit her lower lip as she rubbed where her tattoo had appeared. River put his rods down and revealed his tattoo. Stanford and Wolf exchanged a glance from across the room and pulled up their pants legs to reveal their tattoos. Yoko rolled up her sleeve to reveal her tattoo. Suddenly, the five tattoos flashed and traveled to their right wrists.

"Whoa, what just..." Maya began.

"Your powers have recognized each other and synchronized," Daizo explained to the five.

"Powers?" River asked, speaking up for the first time.

Daizo nodded. "I am Daizo and you five are..."

But before he could finish, a hole appeared in the west wall, causing the six occupants to be thrown to the east wall. As they coughed, twenty Inanimates loped in the hole, followed by Karakasa. Daizo growled as he struggled to his feet.

"Karakasa..." Daizo muttered.

The Tsukumogami chuckled evilly and replied, "Well, well, if it isn't Daizo."

Karakasa drew his katana and held it in a ready position. Daizo looked back at the five teens, then drew his own blade.

"If you're thinking this will end the same way as it did so many years ago, you are mistaken," Daizo told the monster.

The Tsukumogami laughed. "Do your worst, samurai."

With that, the two charged, blades poised.

* * *

><p>A big thanks to kanna-chan for helping me with the Japanese; I couldn't have done it without you! There will be more action next chapter, promise.<p>

^"Mark of the incarnation, reveal yourselves to me!" is the translation of the kanji at the beginning. It's pronounced "Keshin no māku wa, watashi ni anata-tachi jishin o akiraka ni suru!"

^The second kanji is pronouced "Watashi ni sorera o motarasu!" and is translated "Bring them to me!"

Trivia: The kanji for love (愛) was chosen after mulling it over between it, the kanji for each one's Yokai incarnation, and the "element" said Yokai were associated with.


	3. Mysterious Tattoos: Part Two

**Power Rangers: Yokai**

**Mysterious Tattoos: Part Two**

**Abandoned Japanese Warehouse A.D. 2011**

The two party's swords clashed, Daizo with a little less force than Karakasa. Karakasa grinned evilly.

"It's no different, samurai; you're as weak as you were all those years ago!" the monster roared as he forced Daizo to his knees.

The five newcomers gaped in shock at this invasion and at how strong this foe was.

Daizo grunted in defiance and struggled to get up. "You..." he struggled, "will... pay!"

Karakasa chuckled cockily. "Sure," he said sarcastically.

He then turned his head to his grunts. "Well, don't just stand there, you idiots! Attack those teenagers!"

The one-eyed mooks nodded to their master and leapt over the two sword wielders with a half-robotic, half-demonic noise to attack the five.

"Uh-oh," Maya said as the Inanimates cut off their escape.

Wolf smiled and scoffed. "Relax, chica, I got this!"

The olive-skinned teenager walked in front of the other four.

"I call upon the power of... incredibly convenient savior!" Wolf yelled as he raised his hand into the air.

There was a pause as the mooks looked at the boy in a confused manner before shrugging and starting to close in.

"What was that supposed to do, genius?" Stanford asked angrily, his face stern.

"It worked for JT!" Wolf replied sheepishly, backing away.

"JT who?"

"JT from Power Rangers: Mythic Knights!"

Stanford facepalmed. "So you're telling me that you tried to do something a fictional character did?"

"At least it worked in the story!"

Stanford facepalmed again.

"Um, guys," River piped up, "I hate to butt in, but I think we're all in danger here!"

Yoko looked over at Daizo, who was still exchanging blows with Karakasa, and losing from the looks of it.

"Yeah, but where do we go?" Yoko asked, backing up from the inclosing Inanimates.

Maya clenched her fists. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm fighting my way through."

River looked at the Latina, holding his rod like he was getting ready to cast it. Stanford grinned eagerly, cracking his knuckles. Wolf shook his head.

"I'm so going to regret this," the olive-skinned boy said to himself.

Yoko got into a karate stance, left arm forward with her palm facing her, the right wrist resting close to her cheek. Stanford, seeing this, got into a boxing stance, his right hand taking the lead. Wolf simply crouched a little, keeping his weight on the balls of his feet. River held his stance as Maya crouched low, arms resembling a skateboarder trying to keep their balance, but her forearms closer to her body.

"Go!" Maya shouted as the Inanimates closed in even more.

The others nodded and the five charged against their oncoming foes. Maya headed to the center of the half-circle around the five and punched a footsoldier in the chest, followed by a back kick and a back axe kick. The Inanimate reeled back and fell over, sparking a little bit. Maya then twisted her body so that she was between two of the footsoldiers. The Latina then elbowed them both in the gut and stepped back as they clutched their stomachs. Maya then butted the Inanimates' heads together, causing them to collapse in a heap.

River casted his fishing rod at one mook, hooking it on the shoulder. He began to reel it in with his automatic reel, pulling it closer to him at an alarming speed. Once the Inanimate was close enough, River hit it over the head with his rod. River then charged at two grunts, striking out with his fishing rod like a bo-staff. He hit the first in the chest, but the second dodged it. River then threw the rod to the other side of the room and executed a leg sweep, tripping the Inanimate. Then, the Apache quickly stooped over and put the foot soldier out with a one-two punch to the chest.

Wolf had gotten himself into quite a conundrum; he was an inexperienced fighter, slinging his fists around like a madman, aiming nowhere in particular. Three Inanimates stepping back and looked at the olive-skinned boy, confused. Smiling, Wolf took this time to reach behind him and throw a barrel at them, bowling them down like pins.

The boy laughed triumphantly, putting his foot on the toppled barrel. "And who said acting like an idiot never got you anywhere?"

Stanford heard this and rolled his eyes. He jabbed one Inanimate in the chest, quickly followed by an uppercut. The jock then crouched, charged and clotheslined two mooks, which hit the ground hard. Standford smirked at them as Wolf suddenly ran over and crouched over the two.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one," Wolf counted with his fingers in their faces, before hitting the ground.

Wolf then went over to Stanford and held up his arm. "Winner!"

The Brit pulled his arm away and exclaimed, "Don't touch me, Baren!"

Wolf quickly let go and backed away, only to bump into two Inanimates. The olive skinned boy turned around, laughed sheepishly, and ran away, screaming like a lunatic. Yoko shook her head and she bicycle kicked one of the two in the chest. The second turned around to receive a side kick to the abdomen. The mook thought quickly, catching her foot. Yoko grunted in frustration as she tried to pull her foot, but the Inanimate's grip was tight. Then, the Japanese girl got an idea. She put all her weight on her grabbed foot and jumped with the other. Yoko then connected her foot to Inanimate's head, forcing it to let go. Yoko landed on her feet as the footsoldier collapsed on the floor. A bead of sweat ran down her face, taking with it a bit of her kabuki makeup.

Karakasa forced Daizo to take a step back, knocking him off balance. The samurai gripped his sword firmly, his knuckles turning white.

"Kaze de no sutoraiki! Whisper Slash!" Daizo yelled, his blade glowing with white energy.

The man then slashed at Karakasa, releasing the energy. However, it seemed to be little use, since Karakasa deflected it to the left, creating an explosion.

"Did you really think Japanese combat magic as weak as that hasn't been used against me before, Daizo?" Karakasa teased, running his hand down his sword. "I know that a samurai like you can only use blade combat magic and healing magic."

Maya ran up to Daizo's position and stood in front of him.

"I will not let you hurt him!" the Latina yelled fiercely, punching at the villain.

Karakasa blocked it with a hand, smiling smugly. "Ah, so good to see you again, Miyumi."

Daizo looked at Karakasa and then at Maya. _She's Miyumi's reincarnation?_

Maya yanked her hand away, the knuckles pure white from pain. Maya groaned in agony as she clutched her hand. Karakasa scoffed.

"Remember this, _girl_," he said pridefully, "If you stand against me, that pain will be a thousand times a thousand times worse."

Karakasa then pulled a star shuriken made of energy and threw it at a nearby forklift. The machine's prongs separated and became arms, the wheels folded down and became legs, the body compressed and became a torso and a head appeared on the top. Karakasa laughed.

"Destroy them!" the spirit ordered as he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

The forklift monster chuckled evilly and slashed at Stanford, the Brit nearly being cut.

"Blimey!" Stanford cried out as he regrouped with the others.

"I don't think we can take that on," Wolf said with a sheepish chuckle.

Thinking quickly, Daizo murmured a few words in Japanese and the six vanished.

**Meditation Sanctuary, A.D. 2011**

River, Wolf, Stanford, and Yoko looked around at the paper screens and bonsai trees as Daizo led Maya to a stone surrounded koi fish pond with a cherry tree nearby.

"Does it hurt?" the samurai asked, pointing to her hand.

Maya grunted in pain and replied, "Yeah."

Daizo began to examine it, but was interrupted by the sound of a vase breaking. He turned to see Wolf looking at the ground, which had viridian shards of porcelain on it.

"My bad, dude," the olive skinned boy said, an embarrassed smile on his face.

"My name is Daizo Sumisu, not dude," the samurai replied harshly.

He then turned back to Maya. "Can you move it?"

The Latina slowly uncurled her fist. Daizo nodded, then sharply inhaled. Suddenly, the samurai's hands began to glow blue and he enclosed them around Maya's hand. The glow traveled into her hand, then died away. The Latina looked at her hand and flexed it a few times.

"The pain's gone," Maya said, mystified.

Daizo nodded, then looked at Yoko, who was meditating in the middle of the garden underneath the cherry tree. The Japanese girl opened her eyes and got up.

"So, you're Daizo," Yoko said, her face stern. "Other than that, who are you?"

River stopped looking at the koi fish and headed over to the group. Wolf walked over as well, careful not to step on the shards. Stanford, who was near a bonsai tree, decided to head there as well.

"I am a samurai with a burden," Daizo expounded, "Hundreds of years ago, I witnessed a battle between Karakasa, that monster you saw, and five yokai."

"Wait," Wolf interrupted, "What's a yokai?"

Yoko looked at the olive-skinned boy and replied, "Japanese demons, subjects of folklore."

"Yes," Daizo said, using this to pick up where he had left off. "These five were Kitsune, Kappa, Ushi-Oni, Okami and Tengu. After this battle, in which the five passed away to return Karakasa to his original form, I was informed that this battle would be renewed by Omoi the Wise. With this knowledge, I sought out the reincarnations of the five, which why you are all here."

Wolf held up his hand. "Whoa whoa whoa. So, you're saying that we used to be Japanese demons?"

Daizo nodded. "Yes. In fact, using those tattoos, you can use their powers to fight Karakasa as Power Rangers."

Stanford looked skeptically at the samurai as Wolf looked at River in excitement. The Apache shrugged at him and looked at Yoko, who was confused. Maya simply looked at Daizo.

"So, don't Rangers usually have Morphers?" Maya asked him.

Daizo looked at her, then down at the book. "Yes, but you don't. You use your tattoos. The incantation is 'Yokai, Purge'."

Wolf furrowed his brow in confusion. "Wait, so we don't have Morphers? This is whack!"

Suddenly, the pond started flashing blue light. They all ran over quickly, Daizo in front of everyone else. The samurai stirred the water, causing the koi fish to circle, creating a magical image of the Forlift Monster attacking the town.

"You must go," Daizo said to the five.

Maya looked at Daizo, nodded and motioned for the others to followed her out. The five jogged out of the sanctuary, Maya in the lead, Wolf lagging tail.

"I hope I'm red!" the olive-skinned boy shouted excitedly.

**Little Tokyo, Nevada A.D. 2011**

Forklift Monster lifted another car into the air and flung it at another, causing a huge explosion. The monster looked at the chaos he had made and laughed.

"Hey, ugly!" a voice came from behind the Tsukumogami.

Forklift Monster turned around to see the five teenager ran up, Maya in the middle, River and Yoko to her left and right respectively. Wolf was beside Yoko and Stanford was beside River.

"You're not going to trouble these people any more!" Maya proclaimed, her voice defiant.

Her tattoo began to glow and a ethereal hum could be heard as she put her index finger on the tattoo. "Yokai, Purge!" the Latina yelled.

_Maya is in a red forest, a kitsune beside her. The kitsune summoned three orbs of fire from its tails, which began to circle Maya. Maya's clothes fade to a ranger uniform and the orbs disappear. The kitsune nodds to Maya, and becomes a kanji for kitsune. The symbols then circle around her head, forming her helmet, which has fox theme. She then strikes a pose._

"Red Ranger!" Maya yelled, striking her pose from earlier.

Wolf gaped at the Latina, both in awe and envy. "I wanted to be red ranger! And besides, everyone knows that the red ranger is supposed to be a guy!"

Maya scoffed, shook her head and said, "Just morph."

The other four nodded and placed their index finger on their tattoos. "Yokai, Purge!" they chorused.

_River is standing in the middle of a river. Suddenly, the river's tide begins to rise, surrounding River in his ranger uniform. A kappa bursts out of the water and becomes a kanji for kappa. The symbols then circle around his head, forming his helmet, which has a turtle motif. He then strikes a pose._

_Stanford is standing in the middle of a spiderweb covered forests. Suddenly, spiders crawl down from the trees and circle Standford. They climb on him and circle his limbs and torso, forming a ranger uniform from their silk. An Ushi-Oni descends behind Standford and becomes a kanji for ushi-oni, which circles his head, forming his helmet, which has a bull theme. He then strikes a pose._

_Wolf is standing in the middle of the pitch black woods. Suddenly, a pack of wolves appear and circle him, creating a vortex of shadow. This vortex begins to spin rapidly, then dissipates, revealing Wolf's ranger suit. The pack joins into one wolf. The wolf becomes a kanji for okami, which circles his head. This forms his helmet, which has a wolf motif. He then strikes a pose._

_Yoko is floating in a purple sky. Suddenly, a cyclone of wind and feathers appears around her, creating her ranger suit. The cyclone disappears and a tengu flys up behind her. It becomes a kanji for tangu, which circles her head. This becomes her helmet, which has a crow theme._

The monster stood there in confusion, cocking his head to the side a little.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves!" Wolf boomed with a bow, stepping out of line.

Maya glared at the black ranger through her helmet. "Get back in line!"

Wolf comically fell forward, flailing his arms until he connected with ground. The black ranger jumped up, dusting himself off.

"Okay, okay, sorry," Wolf said softly.

The black ranger returned to the line and the group began their role call.

"Yokai of Illusionment, Red Kitsune!" Maya shouted, returning to her pose.

"Yokai of the River, Blue Kappa!" River yelled, striking a pose that resembling the butterfly stroke, facing off to the side, arms behind his back.

"Yokai of the Moon, Black Okami!" Wolf declared, crouching, his hands in a claw-like position.

"Yokai of Spiderwebs, Green Ushi-Oni!" Stanford cried, getting into the boxing stance he had before.

"Yokai of the Sky, Purple Tengu!" Yoko shouted, getting back into her karate stance.

"As Karakasa has waged war on the humans," Maya began, the Latina feeling someone else was saying this.

"So will others," River replied, shocked at the words that escaped his mouth.

"It is our duty to keep the peace!" the five exclaimed. "Power Rangers... Yokai!"

The Forklift Monster growled and summoned some Inanimates, who charged. The rangers rushed to meet them.

Maya ducked under a punch and swept the Inanimate's legs from under it, making it fall flat on its face. Maya then jabbed two mooks in the abdomen. They crouched over and the red ranger butted their heads together. Maya cartwheeled to the side, then backflip-kicked a grunt. The Inanimates growled in frustration, charged the female red ranger.

"Kitsune Fan!" Maya yelled as a bright red war fan appeared in her hand. The black metal that lined it was sharpened to a point and the cloth in between the spikes had gold and black designs.

Maya slashed two Inanimates with the fan opened, then closed it quickly to hit an outlying footsoldier with the closed fan and jab two more with its edge. The red ranger opened her fan again in the middle of the second jab and slashed three more Inanimates across their chests. Then, Maya stabbed an Inanimate in the stomach, embedding it far enough for it to be stuck. As sparks slowly began leaking, Maya turned, backhanded two more, and yanked out her fan. The sparks began to pour out even more until the mook fell and exploded, enveloping the rest of the Inanimates in the flames.

River jumped onto an Inanimate's back and hung on tight as the mook began to spin around like a demented top. The blue ranger forced his arm underneath its chin and leaned back. The Inanimate pitched back and River let go, tossing it into four more. One got stuck in a barrel and squirmed a little, its flailing limbs doing more harm than good. River then grabbed another and forced it into an arm bar. He then slammed it into another group of Inanimates, the footsoldiers falling over.

"Kappa Chain!" River cried as a blue-and-silver chain appeared in his hand.

The blue ranger wrapped a loose coil around his left hand and threw it at a far away Inanimate. The chain wrapped around the footsoldier and began to drag it to River. Along the way, the chain swayed, taking out a few Inanimates along the way.

"Sink into the water! Kappa Diving!" River yelled. Suddenly, the ground underneath him became water and he sank down, dragging the Inanimate down with him. After descending a few feet, it exploded and the chain returned to River's other hand.

Stanford threw another punch, connecting with an Inanimate's chest, sending it flying. The green ranger looked at his fist, surprised at this new strength.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed as he looked up at the horde of Inanimates that had congregated.

Stanford kept hitting, sending Inanimates flying in all directions, some even bowling into fellow mooks. Stanford smiling underneath his helmet until he realized he was using too much energy. He began to get a little out of breath and realized that the mooks he had just knocked down were getting back up with minimal damage.

"What?" he asked himself, panting a little.

As the Inanimates advanced, Daizo's voice came to Stanford inside his head.

'You have to conserve your strength,' Daizo informed him, 'Oni rely on anger to fuel their strength. You can't afford to get too angry, Stanford. You might lose control of your powers. It'll be easier for you to use your weapon.'

Stanford nodded and then reached into the sky with his right hand. "Ushi-Oni Kanabo!"

Suddenly, a green and black baseball bat-esque club, the metal studs on the bigger end a dark gray, appeared in his hand. The green ranger felt a surge of power and lashed out with the club, striking the Inanimates in front of him, causing them to explode. Stanford then propped in on his shoulder, the heavy wood baring down on his shoulder. The green ranger then lashed out again, striking Inanimates left and right with baseball swing-like motions. He nodded in satisfaction as the last mook fell, putting his kanabo behind his head.

Wolf was scrambled around, looked for some sort of makeshift weapon. Then, the black ranger saw a metal pipe laying on the ground. Wolf picked it up and charged into the fray, swinging the pipe like a madman. He took out a good few until an Inanimate seized Wolf's improvised weapon and bent it.

Surprised, the black ranger let out a squeak, then ran like a chicken wth its head chopped off through the cluster of footsoldiers. Confused, the mooks just stood there, some scratching their heads, some laughing. Wolf tripped on a rock and fell flat on his face. The Inanimates that weren't already laughing let out a snerk and joined their comrades in laughing at the black rangers' expense.

Suddenly, something came over Wolf. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't fight it. It started as a tickle in the back of his throat, which then turned into a hum. This gave way to a growl, then, finally, a snarl. One by one, the Inanimates stopped laughing and a shudder of fear went down their spines.

Wolf leaped, taking two Inanimates down. The black ranger then punched them both in the chest, putting them both out. Wolf leaped again and latched himself onto the front of another mook.

With a growl, Wolf yelled, "Okami Claws!"

Around the black rangers' gloved hands appeared straps and on the back of his hands were black and silver tekagi-shuko. Wolf set his feet around the Inanimate and began slashed away until it dropped. The black ranger dropped down, hit the ground with his palms, and jumped up. Wolf charged into the fray again, this time slashing and hacking away. This time, several Inanimates fell, sparking a little bit before exploding.

Six of the surviving mooks let out a whine of fear and started to creep away before breaking out into a full-out run. Wolf snapped out of whatever was over him and looked at the Inanimates running.

"Haha! Yeah! Don't mess with the black ranger!" Wolf yelled at them, jumping up and down like a kid on a trampoline.

Yoko backflipped over a line of footsoldiers, then bicycle kicked the nearest Inanimate. The purple ranger then spun around and backflipped again, this time her feet connected to the mooks' chests. Yoko executed a ninja roll as her hands hit the ground, then went into a leg sweep. A few Inanimates fell as their legs were knocked from underneath them. However, more jumped over them and took their places.

"Time to kick it up a notch! Tengu Yari!" the Japanese girl exclaimed as she held out her right hand.

Suddenly, a purple and black spear appeared in the purple ranger's hand. She twirled it around a little, kicking up a breeze. Yoko then charged, lashing out in all directions at her enemies. The Inanimates all collapsed either a strike from Yoko's spear or a burst of wind. Sparks flew like crazy, then the mooks exploded.

The Forklift Monster looked at the ranger as they regrouped.

"What do you guys think?" Wolf asked, bringing his Okami Claws together with a sound of clashing metal.

Stanford put the studded end of his Ushi-Oni Kanabo on the ground. "Dunno."

River untwined some of his Kappa Chain from his forearm. "I'll ensnare it and bring it in close. Stanford, you and Yoko strike him at least twice. A third time would be good, especially from you, Stanford. After that, Wolf, you and Maya slash him as many times as you can. Then, Maya, you deal the final blow after I disengage the chain."

Maya nodded. "I like it. Let's do it."

River nodded and threw his chain, it wrapping around the monster. With a confused growl, the Forklift Monster was dragged towards the rangers. As River kept drawing it closer, Stanford and Yoko charged, their weapons poised. Yoko struck first, her spear bringing with it a gust of wind. She struck again, making a nice-sized gash in the monster's torso. Stanford waited for a moment, the swung his club with all his might in the abdomen, a large shower of sparks coming out of the gash. The two crouched down as River continued to pull the Forklift Monster in. Then, Wolf and Maya charged, both slashing and cutting away. Wolf crouched as Maya turned. With a nod, River released, kicking the monster towards her.

Maya's fan began to glow red. "Trick in the Rice Field! Fan Slice!"

The weapon connected with the gash in the monster's chest. The monster fell and exploded, the red ranger posing.

**Meditation Sanctuary, A.D. 2011**

Daizo smiled as his new apprentices filed in, Maya first, then River, Wolf, Stanford, and Yoko.

"Good job," Daizo said, addressing them, "Your past lives would be proud."

Wolf stepped out of line. "So, what kind of team are we? Are we like one of those who are briefed and debriefed? Or just informal?"

Maya shook her head as River sniggered under his breath. Stanford rolled his eyes and Yoko just wore a look of confusion.

Daizo held up his hand. "Breathe, Wolf, breathe. I'm just a mentor and informant, but don't think I can't take care of myself."

Stanford stepped forward and laid a hand on Wolf's shoulder. "Yeah, Baren. Don't ask him so many questions."

"But, he's an informant," the olive-skinned boy countered.

"Oh dear," Maya said to herself.

"Yeah, but I believe it'd be about yokai and stuff like that. He knows nothing about ranger powers," Stanford replied.

Wolf flicked Stanford in the forehead and ran.

"Why I oughta," Stanford growled and chased after the black ranger.

Maya facepalmed and let out an annoyed groan. River, bored, went to go find his rod. However, Yoko focused on Daizo.

_So, we know what we're up against,_ Yoko thought, _But what's his story?_

As the green and black rangers ran around the sanctuary, the purple ranger scratched her chin and decided to wait. Time reveals all.

* * *

><p>For reference, the kanji is kitsune: 狐, kappa: 河童, ushi-oni: 牛鬼, okami: 狼, tengu: 天狗<p>

Trivia: Maya's combat magic incantation, "Trick in the Rice Field", is an allusion to the two different types of Kitsune, the first of which are just tricksters, the second which are servants of Inari, the Shinto deity of rice. River's is an allusion to the kappa's trend of drowning people.


	4. The Mediator

**Power Rangers: Yokai**

**The Mediator**

**Meditation Sanctuary, AD 2011**

The five rangers sat in a circle, meditating. Yoko had tried to teach the others how to sit in the lotus position like she did, but it didn't go as she had planned; River and Stanford had resorted to sitting cross-legged and Maya has chosen to sit with her legs bowed out and her feet together. Wolf was the only one to try to emulate Yoko, but ended up sitting with his legs straight out instead. Daizo paced around them, his _geta_ sandals making soft clunks against the stone floor.

Suddenly, Wolf opened his eyes and said loudly, "So, what's the purpose of this?"

The other four opened their eyes and groaned.

"You heard Daizo earlier, didn't you?" Stanford asked, uncrossing his legs and folding his arms. "You need to dig within the pink squishy blob you call a brain to find a power left there by your past life's magic technique."

Yoko closed her eyes again and concentrated. Maya stared at the Japanese girl, while River smiled and elbowed Stanford to get his attention.

"Five bucks she's the first to figure it out," River whispered to the Brit.

Stanford nodded. However, Maya, who overheard this, glared at the Japanese girl for a few minutes as she closed her eyes, too.

"Looks like Maya's turning this into a little competition," Stanford whispered back with a grin, "Remember the football match a year back?"

River squinted in confusion as he looked at Maya, then at Yoko.

As his gaze returned to Stanford, the Apache whispered back, "What?"

Stanford rolled his eyes. "You call it soccer."

River's jaw dropped in realization. "Oh."

Stanford huffed and whispered in a harsh tone, "Yeah."

"Do you mean the one when Maya...?" Wolf began, his voice raised.

Yoko's and Maya's eyes shot open and the four shushed him, the surprise toppling the olive-skinned boy.

As the girls' eyes closed again, River looked at Stanford. "I'm not that into soccer. Fishing is my thing, not sports."

The Brit looked at him, confused. "Isn't fishing a sport?"

River got up, thought a moment and replied, "Well, it's considered a sport..."

Stanford facepalmed. "Lucky for you guys, my girlfriend's the statistician for the soccer team. Maya has scored the most points in our school's soccer history."

"I'm surprised that you know the word 'statistician'," Wolf countered, trying to stick up for River in his own little way.

Stanford growling softly, but it soon died away. He know he couldn't afford to get too angry. River resisted the urge to chuckle. Daizo had warned all of them that it was dire not to anger Stanford too much. Of course, Wolf was the one to shake it off and try to make him as angry as possible. The Brit forced himself to be calm and exhaled.

Wolf snickered a little bit to himself. "Well, back to meditation."

And with that, the olive-skinned boy closed his eyes and crossed his legs. River looked at everyone, then walked over to the wall and picked up his fishing gear.

"Well, this meditation thing isn't really working for me. I'm going fishing," River announced and walked out whistling a happy tune.

Maya's eyes opened slowly and with sigh, she got up. "I'm going too. This meditation stuff is getting us nowhere."

Daizo stopped and looked at the red ranger, confused. "But the book says that meditation is the key."

Yoko opened one eye, then closed it. "I think Daizo is right. We need to stay here and meditate."

Maya rolled her eyes. "You're Japanese, right? That means you've probably meditated a lot in life."

"Yes, that's true," Yoko replied calmly, this time not opening her eyes.

"So hasn't this happened to you before?" Maya asked sternly. "I mean, the tattoo just gives us ranger powers. We've always been reincarnations."

Yoko inhaled sharply and exhaled with a huff. "I don't know everything, but I'm sure that with enough meditation we will be successful."

Maya turned and rolled her eyes, exiting the sanctuary. Daizo massaged the bridge of his nose to stave off a headache before looking to Wolf, and then to Stanford.

"Well, what will you two do?" the mentor asked, a little bit of disappointment in his voice.

Stanford shot a look at Wolf, who grinned at the Brit and waved quickly, his hand a blur.

"If he's staying, I'm going," the Brit concluded.

Wolf chuckled a little and got up, hugging Stanford from behind. "Aw, c'mon. Don't leave me, Stanny-boy!"

Stanford spun around quickly, putting Wolf into a headlock. The olive-skinned boy struggled a little as he tried to escape the hold, but he couldn't.

"Fine, I'm staying. Sheesh," Wolf announced as loudly as possible, much to Yoko's annoyance.

Stanford let out a grunt as he let the black ranger go. Wolf rubbed the back of his neck, brushing some of his long, brown hair with his fingers as the jock exited the sanctuary.

"Well, isn't he a ray of sunshine?" Wolf groaned, sarcasm lacing his voice.

**Bushido Ranch, AD 2011**

Karakasa hid in the tree line as tourists were taught by the stablehand how samurai would train on horseback. He grunted in frustration at his force's defeat.

"Who knew they would be Power Rangers?" the spirit growled, "And to think they would take out most of my Inanimates. I need more, as well as a Tsukumogami."

Karakasa opened his hand, an energy kunai with a piece of paper attached appearing in it. With a toss, the throwing knife hit the stirrup of a saddle resting on the fence with a thunk. It sank into the foot rest, and the saddle began to shudder. The right side of the saddle sprouted eyes and a brown, hairy body came out of the bottom. The torso was clad in leather brown armor similar to a saddle. The stirrup dropped as the newly formed creature opened its mouth.

The monster stretched its arms and jogged over to Karakasa. A little girl pointed at the furry creature as it ran across the field.

"Mommy, look! Bigfoot!" she yelled, jumping up and down excitedly.

The mother looked, but saw nothing. Concerned, she looked at her daughter and examined her eyes.

"I don't see anything, hon," the woman said, confused, "Come on, let's go to the eye doctor."

As the mother rushed her child towards the cars, Karakasa was looking at his monster with pleasure.

"I've always wanted to work with an Abumi-guchi," Karakasa said to his monster, plucking out some of its hairs.

The spirit sprinkled the fur on the ground and mumbled a little bit. With a slight shudder, the follicles went into the ground and in their places sprung up Inanimates, each covered in a bit of dirt. These were the same as the others, but these had studded spikes on the shoulders, forearms, and shins.

Karakasa chuckled evilly and said to the monster, "These will do nicely, wouldn't you say so?"

The Abumi-guchi looked at the footsoldiers and shrugged.

Karakasa looked at his monster, displeased with the answer. "It doesn't matter what you think."

The villain grabbed a nearby rock. "So long as the Yokai are crushed." His hand clenched and the rock broke to pieces.

Abumi-guchi let out an anxious "uh" while the footsoldiers backed away.

"This time," Karakasa continued, "I will be victorious!"

Suddenly, the two heard a snicker from the bushes beside them.

"Who dares to laugh at the great Karakasa?" the hundred-year old spirit roared.

With a rustle, the bushes opened up to reveal a humanoid cat clad in faded tan leather. A crude broadsword was sheathed on his back and his claws were broken off. His two tails twitched behind him as he smiled condescendingly.

"The _great_ Karakasa?" the cat-man replied skeptically, "Please. A living parasol that uses an aging spell to make mediocre monsters sounds like a villain from a children's play."

Karakasa growled in annoyance and retorted, "At least I didn't have my most valuable weapons crushed by Ushi-Oni, Bakeneko."

The cat monster looked down at his hands, examining his broken claws. The parasol monster chuckled snidely.

"After all," Karakasa continued, as Bakeneko looked up and shifted his gaze to Abumi-guchi, "My monster should be able to handle my new Power Ranger problem."

Bakeneko walked over to Karakasa. "Power Rangers? I thought those were just a bunch of normal humans parading around in spandex."

"Apparently these are different. It's none of your concern anyway," the parasol monster continued, pushing the cat monster away.

"Oh, no, no," Bakeneko replied, wagging his finger, "This definitely _is_ my business. Ushi-Oni is one of them, isn't he?"

Karakasa turned to go. "Just stay out of my way."

The parasol walked off, followed by his new Inanimates and Abumi-guchi. Bakeneko smirked as his competitor left the area.

"Alright, he's gone, Nue," Bakeneko said to the bush beside him.

The bush rustled a little as a monster climbed out. His head was that of a Japanese Macaque and his torso resembled a tanuki. He brushed a few leaves off of his tiger-striped arms as his snake-like tail wrapped around his right leg.

"Ready our ritual supplies for our Inugami soldiers and prepare the Basan for battle," Bakeneko said, pacing it front of his ally.

"Immediately, boss," Nue replied, his voice an odd combination of a monkey hoot, a tiger snarl, and a snake hiss.

Bakeneko smirked to himself. "I am so glad that I ripped out the growing spell from that spell book Karakasa read 1000 years ago."

**Secret Fishing Spot, AD 2011**

"Man, they're biting today," River said to himself, looking over at his cooler, which held about fifteen fish, ten or eleven being bait fish while the rest were actually good sized.

The Apache looked at his tattoo and sighed to himself. Was it right of him to have skipped out on the team since they were going nowhere? River cast his line again. What was the power that the kappa had left him? River reached into his worm bucket and felt around.

"Huh," the blue ranger said to himself, "Empty."

River looked to the fish in his cooler, then to his fishing pole. "I best get some more worms. I'll save those bait fish for the next time I'm surf fishing."

The blue ranger looked at the water, then proceeded to reel it in. River took the hook off the line, tied the line loosely to the pole, propped it against his shoulder and walked to the path that lead to the local popular spot. Looking to make sure there was no one around, the Apache stepped out of the brush and headed away from the local spot. After five minutes, River arrived at his destination, Stan's Bait and Tackle.

**Foxman Residence, AD 2011**

Maya dribbled her soccer ball across her backyard, her Manchester United jersey blowing in the wind. The Latina grunted as she kicked the ball as hard as possible into a makeshift soccer goal. The ball swerved a little to the right, bouncing of the post and right into Maya's arms. The red ranger let out a heavy sigh as she put the ball down. But before she could start again, her tattoo began to glow.

'Rangers, Karakasa has released a new Tsukumogami on the warehouse district,' Daizo's voice came via telepathy.

'Roger,' Maya thought back before kicking the ball to the side of the small, suburban house and running off to the site.

**Stan's Bait and Tackle, AD 2011**

River winced in pain as he got Daizo's message. 'Got it. I'll be there after I drop off my fish by my house and I'll be right there.'

The blue ranger replaced the nightcrawler container on the shelf and began towards the door when two angry men walked into the shop. The first was a burly Caucasian man whose bushy, ginger beard hid his frown and brows were furrowed in anger. The second was a short, thin Hispanic man who was clean-shaven and noticeably less angry than the other man, but angry all the same. The two stopped in front of the door and the Hispanic man turned to the big man.

"Listen, Stanley," he said, voice a mixture of irritation and concern, "The old girl was slowing you down. I know it, you know it, we all know it. I was doing you a favor." The larger man, Stanley, clenched his hand into a fist as the smaller man continued. "It's time you got over it."

"Got over it?" Stanley repeated, his voice full of rage, "_Got over it_? You know, Buddy, that boat has been in my family for generations. My great-great-great-great-grandfather bought that boat after he got home from the war. It's where my great-grandfather proposed to my great-grandmother on that boat. Sure, the boat's engine repair costs more than to buy a new one, but it's got history!"

"Dude, your own dad in his will said that it was decrepit," Buddy countered, voice raised. "It was a lost cause and you know..."

"That does give you free reign to _set it on fire_!" Stanley interrupted, hands making big gestures, "Just because I have an old boat doesn't mean you can use it to relief your pyromania!"

"Now that's too far!" Buddy interjected, obviously taking it personally, "You know I don't have pyromania."

At this point, the two had an audience; everyone in the bait shop were focused solely on them. The man behind the counter reached under the counter to check the shotgun just in case things got hairy. River was trying to find a way around the men, but nothing was working. Then, he realized what he had to do.

"You might as well, with your obsession with fire," Stanley replied, poking Buddy's chest with his finger.

Buddy reflexively grabbed Stanley's finger and twisted it so that he had him in a hold. "If you want to make this a brawl, I'm more than happy to oblige."

Before Stanley could say or do anything, River stepped between them, causing both men to take a step back. The blue ranger turned to Buddy.

"What would fighting do here?" River asked the Hispanic man, gesturing to the concerned faces of the clerk and the other customers. "Do you see what you two are doing to these people?"

"But," Stanley began, only to interrupted by a gesture from River that said "stop."

"Yes, sir, I understand your frustration at your friend," River told him, "He destroyed your property without your permission, and something dear to you at that. However, you said yourself that it would be cheaper to buy a new boat than to fix the old one. Sometimes you have to let go."

"See, Stan? I told you so," Buddy said, his voice a mixture of calm and cocky.

"Oh, no. You're at fault here, too," River replied, turning back to the Hispanic man, "You still destroyed his boat without his permission. You should have talked with him about it instead of taking initiative to take care of it yourself. And besides, you could have sold the boat to a collector or a museum or something instead of setting it ablaze."

River walked through the door before turning back to face the two. "In the end, you're both wrong, so why are you arguing? It's both your faults. Sure, it was old, but it doesn't make it okay to either light it or hold on to it. A hundred and five-year-old boat is not safe for the water, but it shouldn't be torched. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

The blue ranger ran back down the road, smirking to himself. The two men looked after him. Stanley was the first to speak after all that had happened.

"Buddy, I'm sorry, man. You were right about the boat being old," he told the Hispanic man, "I didn't want to say anything because I wanted my family happy. You may have been extreme in your methods, but you were right. It's time to let it go."

"And Stan, I apologize for setting the boat on fire," Buddy replied, "I should have waited for you to let go before setting it on fire or selling it or something. Y'know what, man? I'll help you buy a new boat. It's the least I could do."

"That'd be alright in my book," Stanley said with a big grin and a slap on Buddy's back. "Come on, let's go see how much we've got saved up."

**Downtown Little Tokyo, AD 2011**

The rangers, minus River, ran up on the scene where several of the new Inanimates were wrecking the town.

"Is just me or does something seem different about those Inanimates?" Wolf asked, scratching his chin.

Yoko looked and nodded. "Indeed. Look."

The purple ranger pointed to the Inanimates' new pointy structures. "They have spikes now?"

Maya looked around at the soldiers quickly to see that Yoko was correct. "Alright, be careful everyone."

The other three nodded before Wolf scanned the area and asked, "Where's River?"

Stanford rolled his eyes. "Who cares? We have a town to protect."

The four turned their attention back to the mooks, touched their tattoos and shouted, "Yokai, Purge!"

_Maya is in a red forest, a kitsune beside her. The kitsune summoned three orbs of fire from its tails, which began to circle Maya. Maya's clothes fade to a ranger uniform and the orbs disappear. The kitsune nods to Maya, and becomes a kanji for kitsune. The symbols then circle around her head, forming her helmet, which has fox theme. She then strikes a pose._

_Stanford is standing in the middle of a spiderweb covered forest. Suddenly, spiders crawl down from the trees and circle Standford. They climb on him and circle his limbs and torso, forming a ranger uniform from their silk. An Ushi-Oni descends behind Standford and becomes a kanji for ushi-oni, which circles his head, forming his helmet, which has a bull theme. He then strikes a pose._

_Wolf is standing in the middle of the pitch black woods. Suddenly, a pack of wolves appear and circle him, creating a vortex of shadow. This vortex begins to spin rapidly, then dissipates, revealing Wolf's ranger suit. The pack joins into one wolf. The wolf becomes a kanji for okami, which circles his head. This forms his helmet, which has a wolf motif. He then strikes a pose._

_Yoko is floating in a purple sky. Suddenly, a cyclone of wind and feathers appears around her, creating her ranger suit. The cyclone disappears and a tengu flies up behind her. It becomes a kanji for tengu, which circles her head. This becomes her helmet, which has a crow theme._

The four looked around briefly before Wolf asked, "Where's River?"

Stanford drew his kanabo and replied, "Don't worry about that now. People are in danger here."

Maya nodded as she pulled out her fan and the four charged into the footsoldier horde. The red ranger flipped over a spiky-limbed Inanimate and crossed her legs in front of the grunt's neck. The grunt let out a hoarse version of its trademark half-whine, half-roar as it flew in the air and the spikes made it cling to two other Inanimates. The red ranger then ran up and kicked the first footsoldier, knocking all three over. Another Inanimate lashed out with a high kick, which Maya blocked with her open fan, some of the spikes going through the material. The red ranger let out a "whoa" as she looked at her fan. Thinking quickly, Maya folded her fans and stabbed two of the footsoldiers in the chest.

"Guys, be careful about the spikes, they're sharp!" Maya warned, as another Inanimate lashed out with a kick, which she blocked with one closed fan and used the other to toss it away.

Wolf fell flat on his back to duck under a kick from an Inanimate, then quickly popped up.

"How sharp?" he asked the red ranger as another Inanimate charged him.

The footsoldier pushed Wolf into a wall, the black ranger giving it little resistance. Thinking quickly, the black ranger grabbed a kerosene barrel from behind him and held it up, feeling a hard kick connect with the container. Then, he realized something: the container was becoming lighter. Wolf looked on the side of the barrel and saw two bullet-sized holes in the side of the tin.

"Oh, crap," Wolf said to himself, looking at the puddle of kerosene on the ground. "Guys, whatever you do, don't come over here with a lighter."

Stanford rolled his eyes to himself and he swung his kanabo, only to be met by an Inanimate's powerful kick. With a quick kick to the chest, the grunt fell back, clutching its chest. Stanford smirk underneath his helmet, but that faded as the green ranger noticed two Inanimates on top of a nearby building jumping off and using gravity to go into a flying side kick. A kick connected to Stanford's chest, the spikes drawing sparks. Twisting away, the green ranger began swinging his kanabo, connecting to the Inanimate's vital areas in the torso, finally causing them to explode.

Yoko dodged one of the bladed footsoldier's kicks and summoned her Tengu Yari. Twirling it around, she sliced at the armor at the base near their feet. The spiked plate cracked and fell, Yoko grunting in satisfaction. The Inanimates looked down, noticed their comrade's armor was taken off, and let out a confused noise.

"Now I have you!" the Japanese girl yelled, slashing at the grunt's armor. The armor fell to the ground with a clang, much to the Inanimate's horror.

"Wolf, finish these off!" Yoko yelled to the black ranger as he tried to get some distance between him and the Inanimates near the kerosene.

Wolf looked at the purple ranger and replied, "Do you think I can't fight these things with that new armor?"

"No," Yoko replied tersely as she ran off to fight Wolf's pursuers.

Wolf let out a heavy sigh. "First Michelle the Editor thinks I'm 'not the sharpest knife in the drawer', now one of my own teammates thinks I'm useless?"

"Make that two!" Stanford shouted at the black ranger as he swung at another footsoldier, "And who's Michelle the Editor?

"It's a fourth wall joke, you wouldn't understand," Wolf replied, punching out seven Inanimates to the rhythm of "Shave and a Haircut".

Stanford blinked underneath his helmet, shook his head, and continued fighting. Meanwhile, Bakeneko waited in the bushes, eyes fixed on the green ranger.

"Ah, there you are Ushi-Oni," the cat monster said to himself.

But, before, Bakeneko could pounce, the hidden Abumi-guchi ran up to the green ranger and swung his hairy arm. Stanford ducked just in time, some of the monster's arm hair brushing the top of his helmet.

"Blimey!" the Brit exclaimed, turning around as the Abumi-guchi came running back.

Quickly, Stanford swung his kanabo at the monster, who took the blow, but didn't seemed phased by it. Stunned, the green ranger tugged his kanabo back, but found himself unable to move it; it was stuck in the Abumi-guchi's wild hair. Stanford struggled for a while trying to free his weapon, but soon some more Inanimates swarmed him.

Bakeneko growled to himself. "Looks like that Tsukumogami is going to be in the way. Where's Nue with the Inugami and the Basan?"

**Secret Fishing Spot, AD 2011**

The blue ranger sneaked into his spot and checked his cooler quickly. Unfortunately, something had gotten into it and eaten a few of the fish. River groaned to himself and threw a whole fish skeleton into the water. He had been really satisfied telling those guys off, but he really hated that he was going home with fewer fish. A few ripples emerged from the spot where the skeleton sank, then quickly disappeared.

River took a deep breath. He recalled the arguments that Wolf and Stanford had had since all this crazy mess and how easy it was for him to ignore it, even though he wanted to get them to stop. Plus, they was this tension between Maya and Yoko starting to develop.

"What do I do?" River asked himself, continuing to take out eaten pieces of fish and toss them in the water. "I was able to stop those guys from arguing, but why not my teammates?"

_Maybe_, a mysterious voice came, much like a whisper on the wind, _Maybe you are there to balance. You are the reincarnation of the Yokai of the Water._

River looked around, but saw nothing but trees and the ripples disappearing from when he threw in the fish. With a sigh, River nodded to himself. The voice was right in a way. He could see where all of the others were coming from. The Apache smiled to himself, then frowned again. Knowing that would help him figure out the power that the kappa had left for him.

Suddenly, River saw ripples spontaneously coming from the water seeming to come from nowhere. They spread out over the stream slowly before seeming to sink into the water before reaching the shore. River focused on the middle of the ripples and exhaled as he felt a tingling sensation over his person. The blue ranger felt an odd sensation. River looked back and he saw his body sitting in the lotus position, fishing rod across his lap and hands on his knees.

"Holy..." River said before he began to descend into the water.

Looking down, the blue ranger saw a pair of glowing blue eyes, then what appeared to be a giant, mechanical turtle. River inhaled and then realized what was happening.

"Astral projection?" River asked himself.

Suddenly, the blue glowing brightened and the Apache felt a sucking sensation.

"What's going on?" he asked himself loudly before spiraling down into the turtle's eyes.

There was a brief moment of silence. River blinked groggily and let out a groan. _Oh, man. I feel so sluggish all of a sudden._

The blue ranger looked around to make sure no one had seen him in his secret fishing spot and noticed that he was taller than the small grove that hid his spot from others. Confused, River looked down to see mechanical turtle legs where his were supposed to be.

_Whoa! _the Apache said in astonishment. _What just happened?_

As River started to lift his head, he noticed something small on the grass. The blue ranger looked over the faded denim jacket this person wore and the long, black hair that flew in the breeze.

_Wait a minute, that's me! _River realized. _So, that means, my mind is in the giant turtle._

Suddenly, to the blue ranger's surprise, his empty body stood and jumped on the turtle's snout. The ranger's body teleported in a flash of blue light and the next thing River knew, he was in a cockpit.

"What the..." River began before cutting himself off. "This is... a zord!"

**Downtown Little Tokyo, AD 2011**

Bakeneko growled softly from his hiding place as the rangers struggled against Abumi-guchi. Stanford was still trying to retrieve his kanabo, occasionally letting go to punch any Inanimate that got too close.

The Brit looked over to his teammates as he punched out another Inanimate. "Uh, a little help here?"

Yoko looked back as she sliced at an Inanimate's leg, shattering the armor. "I'm preoccupied. Wolf, would you please help Stanford?"

Wolf slashed two Inanimates with his Okami Claws and rolled to his right, grabbed a rod and brought it down on a nearby Inanimate's head. "Sure thing!"

As the black ranger headed over, Stanford kicked another Inanimate away, trying to use the momentum to free the kanabo. He succeeded, ripping out a patch of Abumi-guchi's fur.

The monster roared in pain. "Gah! My fur! My beautiful, beautiful fur!"

Wolf smiled underneath his helmet as he ran up. "Glad you got out of that situation, Stanny, ole boy. It seemed quite..."

Stanford pulled the hair of his weapon, then looked over at Wolf. "Don't you dare say that. Don't you even think it."

"Too late," Wolf remarked, stifling a chuckle, "It seemed quite hairy."

Stanford and Maya groaned in protest as Wolf punctuated it with a loud "yeah!" Yoko finished up her share of Inanimates and the girls ran over to the guys.

"Okay," Maya said with determination in her voice, "What do we do now? Who finishes him?"

Abumi-guchi charged swinging wildly at the rangers. The four easily dodged him, but Wolf accidentally left his foot out. This caused Abumi-guchi to trip and fall on his face.

"I don't know," Stanford replied, a bit confused and curious, "This guy hasn't really put up a fight. He just popped up and swung his arm. He hasn't hit me once. I don't know for certain, but he doesn't seem like much of a threat."

"Then allow me to fix that, Ushi-Oni," a voice came, its tone cold.

Bakeneko leaped out of the bushes and slashed Abumi-guchi across the back. The monster's back sparked as he fell, exploding as he touched the ground.

"A shame Karakasa's monster was so weak," Bakeneko remarked to himself, pointing his broadsword at Stanford, "And it's even more shameful that you couldn't beat it, Ushi-Oni."

Stanford took a step forward. "And you are?"

"Bakeneko, leader of the Feral Yokai Horde, ambassador to the Oni Nation," the cat monster replied, voice mixed with pride and anger.

"Never heard of you," Wolf snarked only to be hushed by the girls.

Bakeneko sneered. "That doesn't matter. I'm here for Ushi-Oni. Inugami, come forth!"

There was an uneasy pause as figures with ceramic dog masks with no eye holes and pale gray bodies with patches of shaggy white hair crept slowly into the area.

"What are those things?" Maya asked, readying her fans.

"These are my soldiers," Bakeneko said calmly, before turning to the figures, "Inugami, take care of the two women and the oaf. Do not touch Ushi-Oni."

The figures shook their heads like wild dogs after the rain and charged Maya, Yoko, and Wolf, totally avoiding Stanford. The three spread out to split up the Inugami, Maya going left and Yoko going right.

Maya kicked one of the soldiers away while slicing another across the chest. However, that seemed to have no effect on the Inugami and it swiped at the red ranger, drawing sparks from her abdomen. Maya clutched her stomach while holding out one closed fan. She jabbed it into one of the mook's faces, cracking the ceramic. Seeing this, the Latina punched the footsoldier where its jaw would be, shattering the mask. The Inugami fell to the ground, the creature's actual face reminding Maya of a young woman, but with blood red eyes and needle teeth. The Inugami bellowed and closed its eyes, shriveling up into a rock.

"Guys," Maya yelled to Yoko and Wolf, "Break the mask! They don't like the sun!"

Yoko, hearing this, kicked one of the Inugami in the face, breaking the mask. Just like the other one, the mook bellowed and became a rock. The purple ranger smiled to herself underneath her helmet. The Japanese girl twirled her Tengu Yari, slashing the surrounding Inugami across the chest, then sweeping their legs. While the circular slash didn't do anything, the footsoldier were tripped and they all fell. Quickly, Yoko destroyed all of the downed Inugami's masks, returning them to their rock form.

Wolf pushed one of the soldiers while simultaneously trying to pull off the mask. However, the black ranger soon found that prying the mask off was not going to work; the mook walked forward with a growl much like that of a dog's. Raking his hand down, Wolf's Okami Claws dug into the ceramic mask, which broke it and reverted the Inugami to stone. The black ranger grabbed the rock and chucked it at an Inugami before headbutting two others together face first. The three's masks broke and they all turned back into stones.

Stanford and Bakeneko circled, the tip of cat monster's broadsword and the green ranger's kanabo just within a foot of each other.

"I still don't get it," Stanford remarked, stopping.

Bakeneko muttered something angrily under his breath, then extended his hands to reveal his broken claws. "This! This is why."

Stanford let his guard down as if to say "really?" and replied, "Some broken claws? So what?"

Bakeneko stared Stanford down, his eye twitching in anger. The cat monster charged, swinging his broadsword wildly. Stanford, caught off guard, quickly brought up his kanabo to block. The force of the attack sent Stanford flying back into a building, which was followed by the green ranger landing on the ground with a thud. The cat monster smiled as he approached his downed foe, but before he could even get near Stanford, Bakeneko heard a sword being drawn. The cat monster turned to see an enraged Karakasa charging him.

"Bakeneko!" Karakasa roared, swinging his sword at the cat monster.

Bakeneko blocked the blow relatively easily. "Oh, you're still accommodating to that new body, are you Karakasa?"

Karakasa growled in frustration. "This is about you destroying _my_ monster."

Bakeneko let up a little on his sword and smiled. "Oh, don't worry. I have something for the rangers myself. Then, all I have to do is handle you. Nue, the Basan!"

Suddenly, a giant thud resounded through the area, but no one saw anything. A jet of bright red flame suddenly appeared in the air, causing the area to become cold. Just then, a giant purple chicken with a bright red comb strutted into the area. The rangers and Karakasa looked at the bird, the former in fear, the latter in amazement.

"I heard KFC was trying to market their jumbo wings, but this is ridiculous," Wolf joked, trying to lighten the mood.

The other three sighed heavily. The Basan kept coming, leveling its head with the rangers and readying its breath attack. Maya shook her head in defeat.

"It's over," she said, hopelessness in her voice, "Unless we have a method of beating that thing, this is..."

Before Stanford could finish, a giant blue blur knocked the Basan over, causing the fire to be spewed upward. The blur slowed down to reveal River's Turtle Zord. The other rangers looked up in awe.

"What is that thing?" Yoko asked to no one in particular.

"When I was in Angel Grove, there were a few Power Ranger teams," Stanford replied, the awe in his voice, "Not like us, though. More like Saturday morning superheroes in real life. Anyway, they all mentioned something called Zords, gigantic machines to help when the enemy seemed too big. I think that's River's."

"Why do you say that?" Wolf asked Stanford.

There was a pause. The Basan started to get back up, but the Turtle Zord launched itself again at the monster. The Basan breathed its bright red fire, causing some ice to form around the machine. However, this did nothing as the Zord broke the ice effortlessly.

"Really?" Stanford finally replied, slightly irritated, "It's a blue turtle! River is the blue ranger. Plus, he's the kappa, a turtle man? Do you ever use your head?"

Just about then, the Turtle Zord's shell started to rotate. It charged the Basan a final time and the monster exploded on impact, sparking off electricity as it went down. The Zord came to a halt and out jumped River, already morphed.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, "There was a little bit of a hangup."

"Dude, that was awesome!" Wolf said, running back and forth excitedly, "That chicken was like 'rawr, eat fire!' and you were like 'not on my watch' and then the giant turtle, where'd you get that by the way? Anyway, bim bam boom, done. And now we get fried chicken!"

Stanford let out a frustrated sigh. "Wolf, there is no fried chicken. It exploded and now it's gone."

Wolf walked up to Stanford and pointed at him. "You're just saying that because you want it all to yourself."

"Guys," River interjected, causing the two to stop, "Wolf, sorry, there's no fried chicken. Besides, I don't think a chicken would fry too evenly if it was cooked with an explosion. Stanford, we're a team now. You're going to have to put up with Wolf's silliness from time to time."

The two looked at each other, then back at the blue ranger.

"I know why I'm on this team," River replied, smiling underneath his helmet, "And that's the key to the power left by our past lives."

* * *

><p>Trivia: This chapter took forever to write because initially River just got the Zord without any character development. I felt something was off, so I had to heavily revise.<p>

Also, thanks to Michelle the Editor for helping me out on this chapter. I couldn't have done it without you!


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